Improvement in washing-machines



` of my improved macliine.

UNITED STATES PATENT CDEEIOEa SOLOMON WELLS, OF BROWNSVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,427, dated May 18,1875; application led February 13, 1875.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SOLOMON WELLS, of Brownsville, in the county ofEdmonson and State of Kentucky, have invented` a new and usefulImprovement in Washing-Machine, of which the following is aspecification:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section Fig. 2 is a side view of themachine. Fig. 3 is a detail side view of one of the rollers.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invent-ion has for its object to furnish an improved washing-machine,which willA wash the clothes quickly and thoroughly, and may be easilyoperated.

lhis invention is an improvement in the class of washing-machines ofwhich that described in Patent No. 80,784, 1868, is a type.

The improvement relates to the combination of a series of verticallyadjustable rollers, whose journals work in slots formed in the sides ofthe suds-boX, and a series of lower iixed rollers supporting the seriesof adjustable rollers, and provided with crank mechanism, whereby bothseries or sets are rotated together, as hereinafter described.

A is the suds-box, which is made rectangular in form, and of anyconvenient size. sides of the suds-box A project above its ends, asshown in Fig. 1. About in a lille with the upper edges of the ends ofthe suds-box A is pivoted a set of three or more rollers, B, the facesof which are deeply grooved with V- grooves. Above the spaces, betweenthe rollers B and above the outer sides of the outer rollers B, ispivoted a second set of rollers, O, the faces of which are deeplygrooved with V- grooves, in such a way that the grooves of the The'upper set of rollers C may interlock with the grooves of thelower set ofrollers B, as shown in Fig. l. The journals of the upper set of rollersO revolve in short vertical slots in the sides of the suds-box A, sothat the said rollers C may move up and down to accommodate themselvesto the varying thickness of the clothes passing between them and thelower set of rollers B.

The upper rollers O are designed to be made heavy, so that their ownweight may hold them down upon the clothes with sufficient pressure.

One of the journals of each of the rollers B projects, is squared off,and to it is attached a crank, D. The handles of the set of cranks Dwork in holes in a connecting-bar, E, so that the said cranks may allmove together. The handle of the middle crank vD projects, and issquared ott' to receive a crank, F, so that all the rollers of the lowerset B may be revolved by turning the single crank F. The upper set ofrollers O are revolved by friction.

In using the machine, the clothes are washed by passing them between thetwo sets of rollers B O.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- The corrugated or ribbed rollers, having journalsworking in vertical slots in the sudsbox A, the rollers B supporting theformer, and provided with parallel cranks connected by a bar andoperated by an extended cranklever, all combined as shown and described.

SOLOMON WELLS.

Witnesses:

L. M. HAZELIP, JOSEPH J oHNsON.

